I know there's been a lot of discussion about Montana in the blogosphere, from Governor Brian Schweitzer's superb leadership in the state to its increasing blue tinge to the well-deserved drubbing that Senator Conrad "Mr." Burns has been getting in the press and in the polls for his neck-deep ties to Jack Abramoff & co. With Burn's feet being held to the fire, it is clear that he can and ought to be defeated this November in his bid for reelection. But who can, and should, be his Democratic successor? It's not an issue of electability, if Mason-Dixon and Rasmussen can be trusted, for both leading Democrats are ahead of Burns. And the national Democrats will be sending money to Montana this fall regardless of who the nominee is for our party, for this state is a must-win for a US Senate majority.
http://www.testerforsenate.com
So, who should our nominee be? If you know about this race, then the title of this article should be sufficient. You know that State Senate President Jon Tester is a progressive, a proud farmer and agricultural expert and an honest man with nothing in his proverbial skeletal closet. But I've had the pleasure of knowing Jon Tester a little more than most here in the blogosphere. I have nothing against John Morrison, the other leading Democrat in the race. Rather, I'm writing today to tell you what I know about Jon Tester, and why he not only is our best candidate for the US Senate race, but the best US Senator for Montana as well.
It all started for me with a phone call in April 2005. Since I had began to look at the 2006 Congressional races, I had looked at Conrad Burns as a vulnerable incumbent (as had most of the political pundits). After getting just 50% of the vote in 2000 against a little-known farmer and rancher named Brian Schweitzer, Burns was getting tied up in the GOP's "Culture of Corruption". I credit Josh Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo for uncovering the clues to Burns' ties with Jack Abramoff, and thus forcing pundits to make travel plans for Montana this fall. But that's another story entirely.
As I said, I was keeping a close eye on this race, watching to see who might run against Burns. When State Senate President Jon Tester jumped in, I was intrigued. He had just won his post the previous fall, when Schweitzer had led the Montana Democrats to control of the State Senate and a tie in the State House. What would cause a guy to give up a safe, newly powerful position to run against a 3-term US Senator with millions in cash? So I found Jon's phone number and gave him a call.
When he picked up the call, he apologized and said he had to run - he needed to do some fieldwork on his organic farm before continuing his campaign announcement trip. You see, I didn't know that State Senate President Tester was a farmer, too. In fact, he grows wheat, barley, lentils, peas, millet, buckwheat, alfalfa and hay on a purely organic fashion. Being the passive suburban consumer that I am, I had literally no clue what "organic" meant, let alone how a State Senate President could possibly have time to farm.
The next day, he called me back. You know that a person in politics is interested in what you have to say when they call YOU back, rather than you having to call them again. Moreover, he was more than happy to talk to me about the campaign, why he was running, etc. I didn't record the conversation, meaning it's lost to the ages (or it's in the NSA database - I'll take "the ages" any day), but I remember bringing up the farming thing. My familiarity with farming was limited to berry picking in New Jersey and looking at apples to make sure they weren't rotten, and so curiosity got the better of me. We ended up talking for at least ½ hour about organic farming - how it was done, why it's preferable, what crops get planted when, and how it helps US agriculture and the American consumer alike. At least I know who to go to for my next school report on agriculture!
But in all seriousness, Jon and I hit off each other well. The fact that he not only had the time to talk to me for 30 minutes while driving his tractor-trailer rig/campaign vehicle (I kid you not), but also to make the distant (for me) issue of organic agriculture worth paying attention to for me was a sign to me that he was the candidate I wanted for the US Senate race. Chalk it up perhaps to the resemblance to Governor Schweitzer's "image", but I saw in Jon the candidate that could beat Conrad Burns.
As we ended the call, Jon let me know that I could call him personally any time. And while I was usually working on other projects, I made it worth my time to call him at least once a month. We've had plenty of other discussions along the way, talking about the campaign, various issues and how I'm doing myself (It's still a great feeling for me whenever a candidate asks me about how I'm doing in high school). One conversation we had centered on Conrad Burns. I mentioned to him how the Abramoff scandal and his other misdeeds in office made him resemble Charles Montgomery Burns - "Mr. Burns" - from "The Simpsons". He got a big laugh out of that - and then asked me whether a web ad comparing the two Mr. Burns would help the campaign or not. While I never did get around to that (sorry, Jon), I still remember that conversation quite fondly.
What I've come away with from over a year of conversations with Jon Tester is that he really is "the real deal" in this US Senate race. Not only is he a progressive on every major issue (he favors a timed withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, which Mr. Morrison does not), but he's refreshingly candid about where he stands. Even the idealist in me knows that most politicians are masters on the dance floor of political hedging, but Jon is different than that. When you've spent your entire life bucking hay and harvesting crops, earning a living on your own power, then politics is different. For Jon, I would say, running for the US Senate requires the same kind of honesty and respect for the voters that he would give to his neighbors back in Big Sandy, Montana. And on a national level, that honesty and respect for the citizens of this country means that we would have a US Senator to be proud of. Considering that Bernie Sanders is likely to win in Vermont this year (replacing Jim Jeffords), the possibility of adding a third "outsider" to the Democratic roster in the Senate (joining Russ Feingold) cannot be ignored. The potential for real change in Washington is simply too great.
As you all know, Jon's primary is Tuesday, June 6th. The primary race is too close to call according to Mason-Dixon (42% Morrison, 41% Tester), meaning that any money we send Jon's way could very well tip the balance in his favor. Jon has been endorsed recently by a whole plethora of Democrats, including the man Burns beat in 1988, John "Doc" Melcher and nearly the entire Montana Democratic legislature. I urge any of you with money you're willing to spend on a candidate to give it to Jon Tester NOW. You can contribute at https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=e1KlvTAo%2bAmCtmJ%2fChTgBQ%3d%3d , and visit his website at http://www.testerforsenate.com .
So far I'm one of a few Americans outside of Montana who's gotten to know Jon Tester well. Give him your support before Tuesday, and maybe the rest of this country will get to know him too.